Bills would keep curators at nine

Both the Missouri House and Senate have advanced bills that will modify the process used to appoint curators. The bills are necessary after the state’s loss of a congressional district through redistricting.

The bills would allow the governor to appoint “at least one but no more than two” curators from each of the state’s eight congressional districts, keeping the overall size of the board at nine, as defined in the Missouri Constitution.

HB 174, sponsored by Rep. Mike Thomson (R-Maryville), has passed the House and was approved April 6 by the Senate Education Committee. The bill is on the Third Read calendar in the Senate for one final vote.

SB 163, sponsored by Sen.David Pearce (R-Warrensburg) already passed the Senate and was heard before the House higher education committee on April 5. It is expected to be voted on during an executive session of the committee this week. From there, the bill will have to go through the House Rules committee before being placed on the House calendar for floor debate.